Adjustable drive for roll feed mechanism



C. O. JONES, JR

ADJUSTABLE DRIVE FOR ROLL FEED MECHANISM May 21, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Aug. 8, 1966 INVENTOR. CLARENCE O JONES, J2.

ATToRNEYs May 21, 1968 c. o. JONES, JR

ADJUSTABLE DRIVE FOR ROLL FEED MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 8,1966 nu} l w mm L n fl u J 3 1 5 mm 1 c mm n J 1 ww #LIFIIII Cl 1 w w 4m w u n Ia. m u n w T m ilrrll [trig Lfrnnnhn L R. llullllfl :11- |L 1IL INVENTOR. CLARENCE O. JONES, J2.

ATTORNEYS May 21, 1968 c. o. JONES, JR

ADJUSTABLE DRIVE FOR ROLL FEED MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 8,1966 h n Q Q a INVENTOR. CLARENCE O. JONES ,JR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,383,932 ADJUSTABLE DRIVE FOR ROLL FEEDMECHANISM Clarence 0. Jones, Jr., Eggertsville, N.Y., assignor toNiagara Machine & Tool Works, Buffalo, N.Y. Filed Aug. 8, 1966, Ser. No.571,083 11 Claims. (Cl. 7488) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus fortransmitting an adjustable degree of movement to a driven pinion from adrive member having a relatively constant degree of reciprocatingmovement. A rack member meshing with the pinion extends at a substantialangle to the direction of reciprocation of the drive member and anadjusting link has a pivotal mounting at one end and is pivoted at itsother end to both the. drive member and the rack member. The pivotalmounting of the link is adjustable toward and away from the rack memberto vary the included angle between the link and the rack member, theamount of drive transmitted to the pinion being thus variable from amaximum down to substantially zero when the link extends substantiallycoincident with the rack member.

The invention relates to motion translation mecha nism and particularlyto novel means for converting rotary to rec'iprocatory motion whereinthe length of the reciprocatory stroke is freely, conveniently andaccurately adjustable while the mechanism is in motion.

A common area of use of the mechanism of the present invention is in thepower press art wherein a strip of material is intermittently advancedto pressing apparatus from a supply roll and by way of illustration thepresent invention will be discussed with particular reference to suchstrip feeding, although the principles of the invention may be variouslyapplied.

In strip-feeding or so-called roll feed mechanisms the drive to thestrip feeding rolls is commonly from the crankshaft or other drive shaftof the power press served by the fee-d mechanism. An auxiliary cranksecured to such drive shaft reciprocates a rack bar which, by means of adrive pinion including a one-way clutch or ratchet mechanism, rotatesthe feed rolls intermittently.

A number of devices have been proposed and patented for adjusting thelength of strip fed at each feeding stroke, some of which purport to beadjustable during operation of the power press and the roll feedmechanism. Such proposals have usually consisted of means for adjustingthe effective length of the crank arm which reciprocates the roll feeddriving rack bar. Among other objections, such proposals necessitateadjusting crank mechanism which is located at the top of a power press,out of normal reach of an operator. Accordingly, linkage or mechanicalmeans of some sort must extend from the crank to a position accessibleto an operator.

The present invention provides novel stroke adjusting means whereby thereciprocating rod or bar which extends from the power press drive shaftdown to the roll feed mechanism may have a constant non-adjustablestroke, adjustment being effected by means at the lower end of suchoperating rod. The adjusting means of the present invention is freelyadjustable while the power press and strip feeding mechanism are inmotion and the arrangement is such that accurate micrometric adjustmentcan be established and maintained.

While a single specific embodiment of the principles of the presentinvention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and described indetail in the following specifica- 3,383,932 Patented May 21, 1968 "icetion, it is to be understood that such embodiment is by way of exampleonly and that various mechanical modifications may be made Withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which islimited only as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view looking at the left hand sideof a power press showing the lower end of the reciprocating operatingrod, the rear portion of the feed roll mechanism, and one form of thestroke adjusting means of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the structure of FIG. 1 taken fromright hand side of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on the line IVIV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken approximately on theline VV of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic fragmentary elevational View showing an eccentricdriving connection from the main shaft of a power press to the feed rolloperating rod.

Like characters of reference denote like parts throughout the severalfigures of the drawings and, referring to FIG. 1, a pair of feed rollsof a feed roll apparatus such as is conventionally used in conjunctionwith power presses are designated 10- and 11. The feed rolls 10 and 11are journalled at their ends in bearing brackets, one of which is shownat 12 in FIG. 1, and the bearing brackets are secured to a base 13 whichis positioned at one side of the bed of a power press in the usualmanner. In the present instance the lower roll 11 is the driven roll ofthe feed mechanism and is advanced in adjustable increments byconnection with the main shaft of a power press with which the feed rollmechanism is associated.

In FIG. 1 the numeral 14 designates a reciprocable rod which operatesthe feed roll mechanism. As shown schematically in FIG. 6, the upper endof rod 14 is pivoted eccentrically as at 15 to the end of a drive shaft16, conventionally the crank or eccentric shaft of a power press. In thepresent apparatus stroke adjustment of the feed roll mechanism isaccomplished entirely in the transmission between the lower end of rod14 and the feed rolls and accordingly the eccentricity or throw of thecrank at the upper end of rod 14 may be fixed and non-adjustable and therod 14 accordingly reciprocates a fixed distance at all times. Varyingfeeding movements of the feed rolls 10 and 11 is effected by adjustmentof the driving connection between the lower end of reciprocating rod 14and the feed rolls in a manner and by means which will now be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

The numeral designates an upright support plate which is rigidly securedto base 13 and has fixed to its outer surface a housing member 21.

The drive from reciprocating rod 14 to roll 11 is as follows. As shownin FIGS. 1 and 4, the lower end of rod 14 is bifurcated as shown at 22and one end of a rack bar 23 is pivoted between the bifurcations by apivot pin 25. The location of the axis of pivot pin 25 is adjustable bymeans of a link 26 in a manner which will presently be described and theadjusted location of the axis of pin 25 determines the effective strokelength of rack bar 23 in a manner which will presently be described.

Rack bar 23 extends through guide formations 27 of a rack guide andpinion housing designated 28 in FIGS. 1 and 2. A shaft 30 hasantifriction bearing at one end in mounting plate 20 as shown at 31 inFIG. 2. Shaft 30 extends through housing 28, through a one-way clutchdesignated 33 in FIG. 2 and comprises the input shaft of a conventionalhelical drive unit designated 34 in FIG. 2.

A pinion 35 in housing 28 is rotatable on shaft 345 and is fixed to thehousing of clutch 33, the latter being a conventional one-way clutch ofthe type wherein the housing comprises the drive member and an internalhub comprises the driven member. In the present instance the internalhub driven member is fixed to shaft 30 and thus drives the right angledrive unit 34. The rack guide and pinion housing 28 has side wallportions which bear rotatably on hubs which project from the oppositefaces of pinion 35.

The output shaft of drive unit 34 is coaxial with and fixed to a shaft33 which comprises the mounting shaft of driven feed roll 11. From theforegoing it will be seen that each reciprocation of rack bar 23 in onedirection will be transmitted to shaft 30 through pinion 35 and clutch33 and thence through drive unit 34 to feed roll 11, while returnmovements of rack bar 23 will be idle.

The stroke adjustment means will now be described. Link 26, one end ofwhich is connected to pivot pin 25, extends into housing 21 and isconnected at its opposite end to a pivot pin 37 by means of anantifriction bearing 38. Pivot pin 37 includes a male dovetail blockformation 39 which is slidable lengthwise in a complementary dovetailgroove 40 in housing 21.

A screw shaft 41 is journaled in the end wall of housing 21 and is heldagainst axial movement relative thereto. Screw shaft 41 is threaded intodovetail block 39 as shown in FIG. 5. A hand wheel42 controls screwshaft 41 and rotation of the latter causes dovetail block 39 to movelengthwise in the dovetail groove 40 of housing 21.

As shown in FIG. 5 a locking strip 43 is set into one wall of dovetailgroove 40 to bear against an adjacent face of dovetail block 39. Alocking shaft 44 journaled in housing 21 has an eccentric head portion45 which bears in a vertical groove in locking strip 43 whereby rotationof shaft 44 by means of a locking handle 46 causes locking strip 43 tomove lengthwise in opposite directions.

As shown in FIG. 1, locking strip 43 is tapered along its length and therecess in housing 21 which receives the same is similarly tapered sothat movement of the locking strip, by manipulation of locking handle46, in a di rection toward hand wheel 42 securely locks dovetail block39 against longitudinal movement.

In FIG. 1 pivot pin 37 is shown at the upper righthand end of housing 21which is the position in which a maximum feed stroke is produced.Operating rod 14 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 in its lowermost positionwherein it is about to begin an upward movement which will cause rackbar 23 to rotate pinion 35 in a clockwise direction to effect a feedingmovement of feed roll 11.

Since the crank or eccentric which reciprocates rod 14- is attached tothe crank shaft 16 of the power press it rotates one revolution for eachrevolution of the press crank shaft 16. It is conventional in feed rolldrives to perform the feeding stroke during the last 90 degrees of apress cycle and the subsequent first 90 degrees of the following strokethereof. Thus the feeding is effected after the slide or ram of thepress is halfway up on a return cycle and during the first half of thedownward movement of the slide or ram in the working cycle of the press.Accordingly, the down position of operating rod 14 illustrated in FIGS.1 and 6 would correspond with a position of the power press wherein theslide or ram is halfway up on its return stroke. In FIG. 6 the crankthrow for the usual pitman or connection which operates the power pressram or slide is indicated schematically in dot and dash lines at 48 inFIG. 6.

In effecting a feed stroke beginning with the position illustrated inFIG. 1, the lower end of operating rod 14 as represented by pivot pin 25will be constrained to move along an upward work stroke from pivot pin37 at the other end of link 26. This obviously will move rack bar 23 tothe left as viewed in FIG. 1 to effect clockwise rotation of pinion 35.

4 Adjustment of pivot pin 37 along housing 21 from the positionillustrated in FIG. 1 progressively reduces the strip length of the feedmechanism by reducing the angle of travel imparted to pinion 35 by rackbar 23. It will be observed that adjustment of pivot pin 37 until itreaches the pitch circle of pinion 35 at the lower side thereof, thatis, the side engaged by rack bar 23, reduces the feed adjustment tozero. In this position the longitudinal center line of link 26 liessubstantially coincident with the pitch line of the teeth of rack bar23. Pivot pin 25 at the outer end of link 26 is limited to movementalong an arc defined by link 26 in its swinging movement about pivot pin37. Thus if pivot pin 37 is in the limit position just described,reciprocating movement of rod 14 will merely cause rack bar 23 to rollabout the teeth of pinion 35 without producing any substantial rotationof the pinion. Note that the pitch line of the rack teeth extendssubstantially through the center of pivot pin 25.

There is substantially a straight line relationship b tween the relativeposition of adjustment of pivot pin 37 between the two limit positionsdescribed above and the angle of rotation imparted to pinion and to feedroll 11. Accordingly, a conventional counter means may be associatedwith screw 41 which reads directly in inches of feed for which the pivotpin 37 and block 39 are adjusted.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for transmitting reciprocating movement and for adjustingthe degree of transmitted movement relative to a given degree of inputmovement, said apparatus comprising a reciprocating drive member and adriven pinion, a rack member mes-hing with said pinion and pivotedadjacent to an end thereof to said drive memher, said rack memberextending at an angle to the general direction of reciprocation of saiddrive member, an adjusting link having a pivotal mounting at one end andpivoted at its other end to one of said members, and means for adjustingthe pivotal mounting of said link toward and away from said rack memberto adjust the degree of rotation imparted to said pinion by said rackmember for a given degree of reciprocation of said drive member.

2. Apparatus according to claim Tincluding a guide member rotatablymounted coaxially with said pinion member and coacting with said rackmember to slidably guide the same in meshing relation with said pinion.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the pivot between the drivemember and the rack member and the pivot of said link member theretohave a common axis.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 including a unidirectional clutchdriven by said pinion member whereby to and fro movements imparted tothe pinion member by said rack bar produce an intermittentunidirectional output motion.

'5. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means for locking said linkpivotal mounting means in any predetermined position of adjustment.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 including screw means for lineallyadjusting said pivotal mounting toward and away from said rack barmember.

7. Apparatus for transmitting reciprocating movement and for adjustingthe degree of transmitted movement relative to a given degree of inputmovement, said apparatus comprising a reciprocating drive member and adriven wheel, a bar member and means guiding the same for movement in agenerally tangential direction relative to said wheel, said bar memberhaving means for driving engagement with said wheel, said bar memberbeing pivoted adjacent to an end thereof to said drive member, said barmember extending at an angle to the general direction of reciprocationof said drive member, an ad justing link having a pivotal mounting atone end and pivoted :at its other end to one of said members, andadjustment means for relatively moving said link and said bar memberangularly toward and away from a position of coincidence with each otherto adjust the degree of rotation imparted to said wheel by said barmember for a given degree of reciprocation of said drive member.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said wheel member comprises apinion and said bar member oomprises a rack meshing therewith.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the pivot of said adjustinglink with said members is coaxial with the pivot between said drivemember and said bar member.

10. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the pivot of said adjustinglink with said members is coaxial with the pivot between said drivemember and said bar member.

11. Apparatus for transmitting reciprocating movement and for adjustingthe degree of transmitted movement relative to a given degree of inputmovement, said apparatus comprising a reciprocating drive member, adriven pinion, a rack member meshing with said pinion and extending atan angle to the general direction of reciproca- 'tion of said drivemember, an adjusting link having a said rack member for a given degreeof reciprocation of said drive member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,076,368 2/1963 Groll 226139 XRFRED C. MATTER'N, IR., Primary Examiner.

*F. D. SHOEM'AKER, Assistant Examiner.

